Phone:                      (615) 297-9875

Email:                        maryglenn@maryglenn.com

Memoirist, award-winning screenwriter unveils (perhaps) the world’s smallest sled Dog

in conjunction with release of debut book about Alaska:

Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon:  Mapping the Wild Heart of Alaska by Mary Albanese now available nationwide

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – In conjunction with the release of her debut book, Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon:  Mapping the Wild Heart of Alaska, memoirist and award-winning screenwriter Mary Albanese unveils (perhaps) the world’s tiniest sled dog in a new video just-released:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY_zcmGol3k

Meet Lucy, a tiny, four-pound Chihuahua, possibly both the world’s smallest and cutest sled dog pulling her weight—literally—in celebration of her human companion’s first book release.   

Albanese, a young woman from upstate New York, began the adventure of a lifetime when she abandoned her safe and conventional path to follow the quiet but insistent inner voice that called to her—and carried her far. Irresistibly and inexplicably drawn to Alaska, Albanese knew that if she didn’t go there, her life would never feel complete. With a one-way ticket to Fairbanks and a long-held belief that “if at first you don’t succeed, try something that’s harder,” Albanese arrived in Alaska and became a geological explorer. Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon: Mapping the Wild Heart of Alaska is her story. Epicenter Press will release Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon: (ISBN: 978-1-935347-17-0, Trade Paper, 5 ½ x 8 ½, 208 pages, photos, $14.95, Category: Memoir) in Spring, 2012.

With a sense of humor that has served her well in her adventures, Albanese delivers a tale of adventure, triumph, heartbreak and survival that is alternately harrowing and hilarious. 

Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon has garnered high advance praise, including:

“Spiked with wry humor, Albanese’s candid narrative is most effective when she pivots between accounts of surmounting handicaps (e.g., unfamiliarity with the extreme climate; being a woman in a male-dominated field) to horrifying tales of colleagues disappearing in the wilds, being mauled by bears, and falling off mountains.”

– Publishers Weekly

“An intriguing, entertaining, and informative story seasoned with a dash of humor by a talented writer”

–Independent Publisher

“Excellent…Mary Albanese nails it.”

– New York Journal of Books

"To survive a Fairbanks winter, a sense of humor is as important as a blazing fire," says Albanese. "The chihuahua sled-dog video seemed appropriate for Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon since it reflects the same sense of humor that got me through those sub-zero 23-hour nights."

A former geologist for the state of Alaska, Mary Albanese is an author, artist, and screenwriter. She has won numerous awards for her writing in a wide range of genres, and has had one of her short films screened at Cannes Film Festival. A native of New York, Mary currently resides in England with her husband Tom Albanese, who she met in Alaska. For more information about Mary Albanese and to view the official Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon book trailer, visit:  www.midnightsunarcticmoon.com. Visit Lucy, aka “The Doggie Diva” at:  http://thedoggiediva.com/

Founded in 1988, Epicenter Press (www.epicenterpress.com) is the country’s largest publisher of books about Alaska.

Members of the news media wishing to request an advance review copy of Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon or more information are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone—(615) 297-9875 or by email:  maryglenn@maryglenn.com.